Majestic Delta and Dunes Adventure (High Season) Accommodated Tour

Early this morning, a Tour Guide from Nali Safaris will collect you from your various accommodation establishments between 07:00AM and 07:30AM. You then depart Windhoek in your safari vehicle with your private guide and head east via Buitepos Border Post situated between Namibia and Botswana. We make short stop in the town of Gobabis before proceeding to the border for last minute shopping in Namibia. We enjoy our lunch packs at the nearby layby stop near the border.

We then cross the border into Botswana, we proceed to our destination for the night and aim to reach there in good time to join an afternoon excursion if time permits. The highlight at this place is the BUSHMAN WALKS: After a two-hour walk into the bush with the San you will have a completely new outlook and see just how resourceful they can be. Learn to identify trees and berries, how they would hunt and also how to make fire! This is a must for anyone interested in local cultures.

The other highlight is the BUSHMAN DANCE: These are held in the evening where you will be met by a local guide who will introduce you to the resident San people, then you will make your way into the bush where they have prepared a traditional event of singing and dancing. Feel free to join in or just enjoy the performance.

We depart early morning after breakfast on our way to Okavango Delta. Explore the Okavango Delta by mokoro or motorised boat cruises (seasonal)*, on foot or on game drive. A maze of sparkling lagoons, meandering channels and overgrown islands teeming with wildlife, Botswana’s Okavango Delta lies like a sparkling jewel at the heart of the Kalahari Desert.

Known as “the river that never finds the sea”, crystal clear channels spread over the thirstlands of the Kalahari with their papyrus-fringed banks and fertile floating islands. Adapted for a life in and out of water, the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga are found in this watery wilderness. Lion, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog share the floodplains with large herds of elephant and buffalo.

For those who want to fish the mighty Okavango River, a 40-minute boat ride from camp that passes through a narrow meandering network of channels, will get you there. Fishing takes place in the channels and waterways around Guma Lagoon Camp. The Guma area comprises of many small lagoons, countless small palm fringed islands, narrow winding waterways amongst dense papyrus and reeds and the large Guma Lagoon itself.

Today we join a memorable experience of a lifetime, we join a day trip with mokoro trails that take you into the heart of the Okavango. This is an adventurous safari experience not to be missed. From Guma Lagoon Camp, a 15-minute boat transfer that passes through a narrow meandering channel will get you to the start of your mokoro experience. From here you will get onto a fiberglass or wooden mokoro which can seat two people. The Head Mokoro Poler will then give the group a detailed speech on safety and what to expect on your trip.

You will be poled through the tranquil channels that link the extensive flood plain system to the main river. Water lily beds, palm islands and papyrus stands abound making for the most scenic of experiences. On one of the larger islands you will have time to have your lunch and a guided walk. There is always a chance of seeing large herds of red lechwe bounding through the water and passing elephants feeding amongst the lush wetland vegetation.

After your hearty lunch and walk you will make your way slowly back to the Mokoro station where our motorboats will be waiting for you to take you back to camp.

After breakfast we depart to Mohembo Border post to cross back into Namibia.  Mahango National Park: The Park consists mainly of two parts: The bushland which is located west of the C48 and which is important as a refugium for most of the wildlife population of the Mahango Park, and the “water front” road, which is located east of the C48 along the Okavango River. From the border we turn off on the game drive road alongside the Kavango River to view game species.

The Mahango Park is home to numerous game. Large herds of elephants and buffalos can be observed, as well as hippos and very large crocodiles. Almost all the antelope species living in North-Eastern Namibia can be seen in the park, among them rare species like roan and sable antelope, common reedbuck, bushbuck, waterbuck and tssessebe. There are also giraffes, zebras, impalas, kudus living in the park. Main predators are lion, leopard and hyena. The large floodplains, reet islands and wetland areas make the Mahango park a bird’s paradise as well.

Today we set out in our tour vehicle for a morning game drive in the Park’s “water front” road, which is located east of the C48 along the Okavango River. Along this road we find many nice viewing spots and sightings of wild animals in the morning and afternoon hours. The Mahango Park is home to numerous game. Large herds of elephants and buffalos can be observed, as well as hippos and very large crocodiles.

Almost all the antelope species living in North-Eastern Namibia can be seen in the park, among them rare species like roan and sable antelope, common reedbuck, bushbuck, waterbuck and tssessebe. There are also giraffes, zebras, impalas, kudus living in the park. Main predators are lion, leopard and hyena. The large floodplains, reet islands and wetland areas make the Mahango park a bird’s paradise as well.

We return to the lodge before midday to have an early lunch so that we can catch up with the MIDDAY CRUISE EXPERIENCE.

At approximately 12h00 guests board the boat for about 2.5 hours. Guests will be spoiled with a variety of snacks. These appetizers are prepared on the boat and guests can enjoy sparkling wine, cocktails, alcoholic and Non-alcoholic beverages whilst relaxing and enjoying the Okavango River. After the cruise (at about 15h00) guests are taken on an game drive into Buffalo core area (Bwabwata) or Mahango National Park for another 3.5 hours and will enjoy a sundowner at the end of the tour. Drinks as well as chips, nuts, biltong and dry sausage will be served.

We depart early morning to the world-class game park of Etosha National Park. Etosha translated, means ‘The place of dry water’ and here we get our first view of the magnificent salt pan.  Etosha National Park is home to 114 different mammal species including zebra, springbok, eland, oryx, kudu, giraffe and the all-important big four: the lion, the leopard, the elephant and black and white rhino.  The wide variety of animals guarantee impressive game viewing.  Etosha is also a bird watchers’ paradise, with more than 340 bird species recorded in the park.

You arrive late afternoon in Etosha area just 40 meters outside Etosha National Park at your accommodation of Mokuti Etosha Lodge and you will stay here for one night whilst you explore the remarkable sights of the eastern side of the park with your guide. If there is still time today, your guide will take you to nearby wildlife waterholes to begin your wildlife viewing experience. However, if you prefer, you can just relax and soak in the scenic and tranquil surroundings at the lodge.

Mokuti Etosha Lodge is proud to announce it’s reopening on the 5th of March after a rigorous refurbishment. Not only have we recreated the exterior of the lodge under the theme “Africa Reimagined” but every touchpoint of the guest journey has been optimized and upgraded to offer you the best Safari experience Africa has to offer.

Arriving at Mokuti – a mere 40 meters from the Etosha Gate – is an experience on its own. A new contemporary safari experience greets you and will leave you speechless as you arrive at the Porte Cochere with its uninterrupted view through the lobby to the pool bar. The gardens are magnificent, with cool rippling water features that accompany you as you step out of the lobby to the water lounge. Uninterrupted views and gardens that interact with the living spaces create an inviting, friendly, comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, which sets the tone for your stay at Mokuti Etosha.

This morning you will need to rise early for a magical wildlife encounter’s experience with your guide in the famous Etosha National Park, normally setting off before sunrise with luck on your side, you will observe nocturnal animals in the early mornings. We spend another day in Etosha’s unique desert landscape searching out for amongst other animals it’s large population of elephants and marvelling at its prolific bird life.

Unlike other parks in Africa, where you can spend days looking for animals, Etosha’s charm lies in its ability to bring the animals to you. Just park your car next to one of the many water holes, then wait and watch while a host of animals – lions, elephants, springboks, gemsboks etc. – come not two by two but by the hundreds.

**Memorable Moment: The Etosha Pan is a vast, bare, open expanse of shimmering green and white that covers around 4 800km², almost a quarter of the beautiful Etosha National Park.  At 130 km’s long and up to 50km’s wide in places, it is comfortably the largest salt pan in Africa and is the park’s most distinctive and dramatic feature, visible even from space.**

You then make a lunch stop at Halali Wildlife Resort located in the middle of the park. After lunch you proceed with game viewing on your way to overnight accommodation, Namutoni Wildlife Resort. The rest of the remainder of the afternoon is at your leisure (from experience, this is usually welcomed after an exhilarating full day game viewing seated in the vehicle).

Etosha’ s essence is the vast Etosha Pan, an immense, flat, saline desert that, for a few days each year, is converted by rain into a shallow lagoon teeming with flamingos and pelicans. In contrast, late in the dry season, everything, from the elephants to the once-golden grasslands, seems cast, spectrelike, in Etosha’s white chalky dust. And what wildlife there is! Even if you’ve had a taste of African wildlife watching previously, you are likely to be mesmerized by it here.

After sunset floodlights illuminate the waterhole. This is the best time and place to see the endangered black rhino. This archaic mammal can often be seen drinking alongside lion and elephant. The number and interaction of the animals is the major drawcard of Okaukuejo Rest Camp in Namibia.

Today we have two sets of game drives, a morning and afternoon game drive. We spend another day in Etosha’s unique desert landscape searching out for amongst other animals it’s large population of elephants and marvelling at its prolific bird life.

Unlike other parks in Africa, where you can spend days looking for animals, Etosha’s charm lies in its ability to bring the animals to you. Just park your car next to one of the many water holes, then wait and watch while a host of animals – lions, elephants, springboks, gemsboks etc. – come not two by two but by the hundreds.

Etosha’ s essence is the vast Etosha Pan, an immense, flat, saline desert that, for a few days each year, is converted by rain into a shallow lagoon teeming with flamingos and pelicans. In contrast, late in the dry season, everything, from the elephants to the once-golden grasslands, seems cast, spectrelike, in Etosha’s white chalky dust. And what wildlife there is! Even if you’ve had a taste of African wildlife watching previously, you are likely to be mesmerized by it here.

We rise early this morning for a day which is sure to prove most memorable. With their intricate hairstyles and traditional adornments, the Himba are one of Namibia’s most distinctive tribes. We spend time with these proud people, learning about their captivating heritage and special way of life. From the small settlement near Kamanjab we then head via Khorixas, the capital of the Damaraland region to arrive at our lodge late afternoon.

Damaraland: The breath-taking mountainous region of Damaraland is home to an assortment of desert-adapted wildlife such as elephant, rhino, zebra and lion, which eke out an existence in this near-barren landscape. A not-to-be-missed attraction is the picturesque Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, which is home to thousands of ancient rock paintings – most notably the White Lady. The rocky outcrops of Twyfelfontein feature exceptional Bushmen engravings, which are considered to be some of the best-preserved etchings on the continent.

An early start to see the highlights of Damaraland – one of the last true wilderness areas in Africa. Craggy mountains and table-flat plateau unfolding towards deep-red kopjes and oft-dry plains: rocks are the key to Damaraland’s scenic beauty. With no permanent rivers, few inhabitants and a smattering of wildlife, this is a place to unwind, to watch and to wonder. We pass through scenic landscapes en route to the Petrified Forest. We visit the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, the fascinating geological features such as the Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain.

Twyfelfontein: A true landmark situated in the heart of one of the world’s most magnificent wilderness regions. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Twyfelfontein in Damaraland is home to one of the largest collections of rock-art engravings found in Southern Africa. Not only did the Khoi-San and tribes of ancient years leave us with a true cultural heritage, but the whole area is characterised by natural wonders such as Doros Crater, Burnt Mountain, Organ Pipes, Petrified Forest and desert-adapted animals – of which the desert-adapted elephant is probably the most well-known species.

After a visit to these geological sites, you depart to the charming coastal town of Swakopmund. The drive today takes you southwest through awesome and ever changing landscapes passing through some small settlement towns of Kamanjab, Uis. You will meet the ocean at the coastal town of Henties Bay and then continue south to Swakopmund where you can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air for your next two nights. There will be time this afternoon to explore the town and wander along the waterfront on foot, before heading off for dinner at a popular restaurant which specializes in locally harvested seafood.

Swakopmund: Swakopmund resembles a small, German coastal resort nestled between the desert and the sea. It boasts a charming combination of German colonial architecture blended with modern hotels, shops, restaurants, museums, craft centres, galleries and cafés. Swakopmund had its beginnings as a landing station in 1892 when the German Imperial Navy erected beacons on the site. Settlers followed and made attempts to create a harbor town by constructing a concrete Mole and then an iron jetty – which attempts were ultimately unsuccessful.

The advent of World War one halted developments, and the town sank into decline until half a century later when infrastructure improved and an asphalt road opened between Windhoek and Swakopmund. This made reaching the previously isolated town quicker and easier and it prospered once again to become Namibia’s premier resort town. Although the sea is normally cold for swimming there are pleasant beaches and the cooler climate is refreshing after time spent in the desert.

Today is a free day. The idea is to allow time for everybody to do their own thing. Swakopmund is a very pleasant seaside town with lots of shops, a good stretch of beach (although the Atlantic here is quite cold) and an open-air curio market. There is also a very good museum and the Namibian National Marine Aquarium is located in Swakopmund.

Alternatively, there are various optional activities that can be arranged. These include airplane and microlight flights over the desert, scenic drives, fishing trips (both from the beach or in a boat), four-wheel motorcycle (quad bike) trips into the desert and over the sand dunes around Swakopmund, sand boarding trips (also in the dunes), skydiving, surfing, bird-watching and many other activities are available. Your tour guide will discuss all the possible options with you before you reach Swakopmund and will offer to make bookings in advance of your arrival.

As per your requested excursion to visit the old shipwrecks. This one-day excursion designed for those interested in experiencing the rugged beauty of the Namibian coastal landscape and dreams of seeing an actual shipwreck stuck high-up on a beach in one of the world’s most isolated places. You will be driven early morning by your tour guide from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay town about 30km and you will check in at the operator’s office at the Walvis Bay Waterfront at 08h00AM for a departure shortly thereafter.

You will arrive at the Shawnee shipwreck late morning. Namibia’s coast’s rough seas, roaring winds and strong ocean currents are primarily responsible for a number of shipwrecks strewn along the Namibian coast. One of these is the Shawnee, a transport tug that ran aground in mysterious circumstances on 6th February 1976. Now wedged on a narrow stretch between the ocean and the dunes, it is home to a variety of seabirds and black-backed jackal.

We serve lunch on the spectacular beach at the wreck, consisting of a selection of fresh Namibian oysters paired with crisp sparkling wine; meat and fish platters with Namibian beer, an assortment of cool drinks and bottled mineral water. We proceed over some exhilarating dunes, and you will experience some of the area’s typical fauna and flora.

Animals which have developed ways to adapt to the desert include the black-backed jackal, fog-basking beetle, dancing spider (‘white lady of the Namib’), golden mole, shovel-snouted lizard, palmato gecko, springbok, oryx, brown hyena and ostrich. Endemic to the central Namib Desert, the !Nara plant has adapted well to the desert. Its tap root can reach more than 15m into the ground to reach water resources. Passing a stretch through the Kuiseb Delta, we will be back at the Waterfront around 17h00PM. Your tour guide/driver will be waiting to pick you up on your way back to Swakopmund.

Price from: NAD4, 450 per person, a min of four (4) persons is needed for the tour to take place. Duration: 8 hours. (Excursion to be paid by the client upon confirmation near to the date of departure.

Enjoy the splendors and many attractions of Swakopmund. There is a possibility of meeting fellow travelers at dinner that will be joining the tour in Swakopmund.  Swakopmund is one of those great traveler way stations along the African road. At once Namibia’s adventure capital and a surreal colonial remnant, part destination in its own right and part launch pad for an exploration of the Skeleton Coast and Namib Desert, this is a city with as much personality as it has sea frontage.

Like Lüderitz on the south coast, with its half-timbered German architecture, seaside promenades and pervasive Gemütlichkeit (a distinctively German appreciation of comfort and hospitality), Swakopmund, especially out of season, can feel like a holiday town along Germany’s North Sea and Baltic coasts transplanted onto African soil. But the city is also thoroughly African and its multidimensional appeal means that most people end up staying longer than they planned.

This morning we visit some of the regions natural wonders such as the ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis and the Moon Landscape before continuing to the edges of the Namib Desert and then proceed through the southern region of the Namib Naukluft Park, the Kuiseb Canyon, and the Gaub Pass before we reach our accommodation. You arrive at your accommodation in the afternoon and you will stay here for two nights whilst you explore the remarkable sights of the Namib Desert. Relax and soak in the scenic and tranquil surroundings at the Lodge.

Complementing the magnificence of a red sand sea, Namib Desert Lodge lies at the foot of ancient fossilised dunes. Make some space for wonder. A sunset or early morning drive through the red dunes exploring the sand masterpiece is breath-taking. Atop the ridge as the sand begins to glow deep rich sienna, a view of utter beauty is illuminated in gold, extending from the soft dunes around you to the green ribbon of riverine trees in the distance and the purple-blue mountains. Tolkien would be taken aback – and inspired, I’m sure, by such fantastical scenery! One of the Sossusvlei lodges, Namib Desert Lodge is imbued with its own special character.

Enjoy the relaxed and friendly ambience while cooling off at the pool, watching gemsbok arrive at the waterhole to drink, walking the trails into the dunes or dining in the cosy restaurant. Down-to-earth and homely, it is a place to put up feet, explore, discover and love. For the ultimate desert experience, spend a night in the dunes at Dune Star Camp. An intimate adventure, this slick and simple hideaway stands alone deep in the Namib Desert.

The spacious wooden bungalows have beds with wheels to enable guests to sleep out under the stars and a dining area with a large wooden deck affords the best views of the landscape. Be prepared to fill up with desert splendour and a renewed energy for the incredible adventure of Life. Enjoy the quiet at Namib Desert Lodge away from the bustle around Sesriem, 60km away. Ideal for groups, families or individual travellers, there is space for all. A trip to Namibia is only complete with a sojourn in the Namib Desert.

Today will be an early start to explore the spectacular towering dunes of Sossusvlei, Dune 45, Big Daddy Dune and Deadvlei, another pan where water once flowed, but all that remains today are the skeletons of trees that reach up out of the cracked earth. Setting off before sunrise to capture the dunes whilst the light is soft and shadows accentuate the towering shapes and curves.

This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world and your guide will give you an insight on the formation of the Namib Desert and its myriad of fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to survive these harsh environs. Once you have explored Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and surrounding dune fields to your heart’s content, we return we return to Sesriem area at a nearby restaurant for lunnch.

After lunch we visit the rugged Sesriem Canyon where you can view millions of years of sedimentary layers in the ravine walls. Views from the top are breathtaking while walks through the canyon reveal distinct geographical layers which were laid down over centuries.

Please Note: Option to include a sunrise balloon flight before you depart for Swakopmund (optional extra at additional cost). Please note that if making use of this offer, it will need to be booked exclusively with Nali Safaris in order to fit in with other timings for this day.

Today we have a leisurely breakfast and after breakfast, we depart to Windhoek via the Remhoogte Pass – although this pass is not as steep as the Spreetshoogte, it offers beautiful scenery and only weather conditions permits. Expect to arrive in the city at around 14:00pm, although please note that times may vary.